1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a surgical instrument for dispensing tacks and a solution. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a tacker instrument for use in applying surgical fasteners through a prosthetic mesh and into tissue and for dispensing a solution adjacent at least some of the tacks.
2. Background of Related Art
Various surgical procedures require instruments capable of applying fasteners to tissue to form tissue connections or to secure objects to tissue. For example, during hernia repair procedures it is often desirable to fasten a mesh to body tissue. In certain hernias, such as direct or indirect inguinal hernias, a part of the intestine protrudes through a defect in the abdominal wall to form a hernial sac. The defect may be repaired using an open surgery procedure in which a relatively large incision is made and the hernia is closed off outside the abdominal wall by suturing. The mesh is attached with sutures over the opening to provide reinforcement.
Less invasive surgical procedures are currently available to repair a hernia. For example, in laparoscopic procedures, the hernia repair surgery is performed through a small incision in the abdomen while in endoscopic procedures, the hernia repair surgery is performed through narrow endoscopic tubes or cannulas inserted through small incisions in the body. Laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures generally require the use of long and narrow surgical instruments capable of reaching deep within the body and configured to seal with the incision or tube they are inserted through. Additionally, the instruments must be capable of being actuated remotely, that is, from outside the body.
Currently, endoscopic techniques for hernia repair utilize fasteners, such as, surgical staples or clips, to secure the mesh to the tissue to provide reinforcement in the repair and structure for encouraging tissue regrowth. The staples or clips are compressed against the tissue and mesh to secure the two together.
One other type of fastener suited for use in affixing mesh to tissue, during procedures such as hernia repair, is a coil fastener having a helically coiled body portion terminating in a tissue penetrating tip or a hollow screw type fastener having an external thread. Unique instruments have been developed to rotate these fasteners into tissue. Examples of some of these types of surgical fasteners and surgical instruments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,258,000 and 5,830,221, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
In hernia repair surgery, e.g., ingunal or ventral hernia repair, adhesion may occur between the tissue and the fastener. Accordingly, the present disclosure relates to a solution, e.g., a collagen-based paste, that can be applied from the same tube where the fasteners are ejected from, to or adjacent at least some of the ejected fasteners to help minimize adhesion between the fastener and the tissue.